US20140069573A1 - Method for preforming a green tire - Google Patents
Method for preforming a green tire Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20140069573A1 US20140069573A1 US13/773,035 US201313773035A US2014069573A1 US 20140069573 A1 US20140069573 A1 US 20140069573A1 US 201313773035 A US201313773035 A US 201313773035A US 2014069573 A1 US2014069573 A1 US 2014069573A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- bead
- tire
- green tire
- areas
- support ring
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29D—PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE
- B29D30/00—Producing pneumatic or solid tyres or parts thereof
- B29D30/0005—Pretreatment of tyres or parts thereof, e.g. preheating, irradiation, precuring
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29D—PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE
- B29D30/00—Producing pneumatic or solid tyres or parts thereof
- B29D30/06—Pneumatic tyres or parts thereof (e.g. produced by casting, moulding, compression moulding, injection moulding, centrifugal casting)
- B29D30/08—Building tyres
- B29D30/10—Building tyres on round cores, i.e. the shape of the core is approximately identical with the shape of the completed tyre
- B29D30/18—Fitting the bead-rings or bead-cores; Folding the textile layers around the rings or cores
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29D—PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE
- B29D30/00—Producing pneumatic or solid tyres or parts thereof
- B29D30/06—Pneumatic tyres or parts thereof (e.g. produced by casting, moulding, compression moulding, injection moulding, centrifugal casting)
- B29D30/0601—Vulcanising tyres; Vulcanising presses for tyres
- B29D30/0603—Loading or unloading the presses
Definitions
- the present invention is directed to tire manufacturing, and more particularly to processing of a green tire.
- Tire uniformity is important to overall tire performance.
- One aspect of tire uniformity that may occur is when the opposed tire beads are not concentric and parallel to each other. This nonuniformity may occur during the tire building process, tire storage during loading of the tire into the tire press prior to cure, or during the press shaping cycle.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art tire loader loading a tire into a tire press.
- the tire loader 10 grasps the tire bead from the top of the tire, and seats the tire onto a bottom mold bead ring 12 .
- One problem with the prior art loader is that the lower tire bead region has not been rotated into engagement with the bottom bead ring.
- a second problem is that the green tire may not be centered onto the lower bead ring or the mold. Further, the top bead of the green tire may not be concentric and parallel with the bottom bead.
- FIG. 2 a illustrates a tire having a bead seated in the bottom mold ring prior to shaping and with the mold in the open position.
- the lower bead region 14 a is constrained by the lower bead ring 12
- the upper bead region 14 b is free.
- FIG. 2 b illustrates the green tire during shaping of the curing bladder.
- FIG. 2 b illustrates that the lower ply endings A near the bottom bead ring are trapped between the bladder and the bottom bead ring so that they cannot move.
- the upper ply endings B are pulled by the bladder to lengthen the Y dimension due to the unconstrained upper tire bead.
- the upper bead area may rotate in an undesired direction.
- the centerline C L ′ of the tire may also shift a lateral distance L from the desired centerline C L , resulting in conicity.
- tire nonuniformity occurs in the press as X and Y are not equal, and the tire centerline has moved laterally a distance L.
- the top bead ring engages the top bead, and forces the top bead area to rotate around the top bead.
- the closing of the press does not solve the issues described above, and a tire with uniformity issues may be formed.
- the invention provides in a first aspect a method for preforming a green tire to a predetermined position prior to insertion into a tire mold.
- the green tire has opposing first and second bead areas.
- the method includes the following steps: holding a first and second bead of the green tire in a concentric and parallel position, moving one of the first and second beads towards the other, rotating the first and second bead areas into a predetermined position, and then holding the first and second beads and bead areas in the predetermined position for a set period of time indexing the green tire and repeating the rotation several times.
- the invention provides in a second aspect a method for aligning the bead areas of green tire into alignment with each other.
- the method includes the following steps: providing a first bead support ring and mounting the lower bead of the green tire onto said first bead support ring, providing a second bead support ring and moving the second bead support ring into engagement with the upper bead of the tire until the tire is in a desired pre-mold position, and rotating the first and second bead areas of the tire into the desired pre-mold shape.
- FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art loader loading a green tire into a tire press.
- FIG. 2 a is a cross sectional view of a green tire partially mounted on the bottom mold bead ring prior to engagement of the shaping bladder and mold closing;
- FIG. 2 b is a cross sectional view of a green tire partially mounted and shaped on the bottom bead ring of the tire mold during bladder shaping;
- FIG. 3 is a cross sectional front view of a green tire pre-former of the present invention shown in the start position without a green tire;
- FIG. 4 is a cross sectional front view of a green tire pre-former of the present invention shown in the start position with a green tire and green tire loader;
- FIGS. 5 and 5 a are cross sectional views of the bottom mold bead ring support with translating support ring;
- FIG. 6 is a cross sectional front view of a green tire pre-former of the present invention shown in the loaded and lowered position with a green tire and green tire loader;
- FIG. 7 is a cross sectional front view of a green tire pre-former of the present invention shown with the loader upper mold bead support ring engaging the top bead of the green tire prior to the material rotation around the beads;
- FIG. 8 is a cross sectional front view of a green tire pre-former of the present invention shown in the actuated/clamped position, after rotating the bead area material around both the top and bottom beads but prior to the loader grasping the outside diameter of the green tire;
- FIG. 9 is a cross sectional front view of a green tire pre-former of the present invention shown with both bead areas rotated and the green tire grasped in the loader for transport;
- FIG. 10 a illustrates the green tire prior to shaping or lower bead area rotation
- FIG. 10 b illustrates the green tire after upper and lower bead area rotation, but prior to shaping.
- FIG. 11 illustrates a green tire being loaded onto the tire preforming apparatus.
- FIG. 12 illustrates a green tire loaded onto the tire preforming apparatus.
- FIG. 13 a illustrates a green tire after the upper and lower bead support rings have positioned the tire beads to the cured bead height
- FIG. 13 b illustrates the bead clamps after rotation around the bead against both bead support rings.
- FIG. 14 illustrates the tire in the loader; with tire held on outside diameter.
- FIG. 15 illustrates the green tire being placed on the bottom mold bead ring.
- FIGS. 16-21 illustrate the various stages of the modified tire curing process.
- FIG. 3 illustrates a green tire pre-former apparatus 200 of the present invention.
- the green tire pre-former apparatus 200 is useful for pre-forming a green tire so that the overall tire shape matches the cured tire shape, and the tire beads are concentric and parallel with respect to each other prior to entry into the mold.
- the tire pre-former apparatus 200 comprises a support frame 202 that has three or more support legs 204 joined together by a stationary lower support plate 206 .
- An annular center support outer column 220 extends vertically upwards from the support plate 206 guiding center support inner column 222 .
- a lower spider ring 208 is slidably mounted on center support outer column 220 .
- Support frame 202 further comprises a stationary upper support plate 210 that is connected to the lower support plate via a plurality of support frame columns 209 .
- the green tire pre-former apparatus 200 further comprises a lower bead support ring 230 .
- the lower bead support ring 230 is shown in FIG. 3 in a raised position suitable for loading the green tire onto the pre-former apparatus.
- the lower bead support ring 230 has a lower surface mounted to an upper ring 231 .
- the upper ring may be optionally connected to a rotatable bearing 237 so that the upper ring is free to rotate.
- the rotatable bearing 237 is connected to a bearing support plate 239 .
- the lower surface of the bearing support plate 239 is mounted to a distal end 232 of a translating rod 235 .
- the lower bead support ring may be raised and lowered via translating rods 235 , and may also be rotated radially around the center column via rotatable bearing ring 237 .
- a gear rack 243 is positioned for engagement with the rotatable bearing ring 237 in order to precisely position the lower bead support ring 230 .
- a programmable rotation-positioning device 244 may optionally be used to position the rotatable bearing ring 237 .
- the lower bead support ring 230 as shown in FIG. 5A has a bead support 232 extending radially outward from the support ring 230 .
- the bead support 232 has an annular lip 234 located axially inward of the bead support.
- the annular lip is straight and has no taper.
- the bead support has a flat portion 236 located axially outward on the support ring.
- the bead support 232 further comprises an angled seat 238 that joins the annual lip 234 to the flat portion 236 .
- the angled seat 238 helps cam over the bead area material into the proper cured alignment position.
- the green tire pre-former apparatus 200 further comprises a top hat 245 which facilitates the proper centering of the green tire bead and tire onto the lower bead support ring of the green tire pre-former apparatus.
- FIG. 4 illustrates a green tire loaded onto the green tire pre-former apparatus with support ring 231 in the raised position with the lower sidewall bead area of the green tire in mating engagement with the lower bead support ring 230 .
- the green tire loader 100 is lowered into the support/grasp position around the green tire as shown in FIG. 7 .
- the green tire loader 100 includes an upper support ring 102 for engaging and supporting the upper bead of the green tire.
- the upper support ring 102 may optionally be rotatable, as described in more detail, below.
- the loader 100 with a rotatably mounted upper support ring 102 is lowered until the inner radial lip 106 of the upper bead support ring 102 engages the top bead of the green tire.
- the green tire loader further includes a plurality of tire engaging paddles or chucks 110 .
- Each tire chuck is independently radially movable on a rail support 112 connected to a pneumatically driven piston 114 .
- Each chuck is lockable at its own unique tread radius position thus holding and maintaining the concentricity of the top tire bead to the top bead lip ring 102 .
- FIG. 6 shows the rotatable upper bead support ring 102 mounted on a support structure 116 in order to stabilize the support ring, facilitate bead size, provide for ring size changes, and position the support ring 102 adjacent to the tire engaging chucks 110 .
- the green tire pre-former device further comprises upper and lower bead clamps, 300 and 400 , which rotate and engage the inner tire bead area 302 and 402 , thus causing the green tire bead area components 302 and 402 to rotate around the upper and lower bead support rings 230 , 102 (including their angled seats 238 , and their straight, non-tapered annular lips 234 , 106 ) until the inner tire bead areas 302 , 402 are held securely against the flat areas 236 .
- the bead area components are able to rotate around the bead ring because the support rings 102 , 230 have no tapered lips which prevent the rotation.
- the bead area components 302 , 402 are the tire components that are rotated around the bead ring, which include the rim strip, inner liner, apex, the ply, and typically the lower sidewall below the turnup. Depending on tire design, other components around the bead area will also be rotated.
- a plurality of upper and lower bead clamps 300 , 400 are arranged in an annular fashion and are positionable to engage the tire bead area components 302 , 402 .
- the bead clamps 300 , 400 include curved or L shaped fingers that are adjustable in length, and function to grip the tire bead area components 302 , 402 into engagement with the support rings 102 , 230 .
- the bead clamps 300 , 400 are pneumatically actuated in multiple partial steps, performed sequentially that ultimately result in the complete uniform rotation of the tire bead area components 302 , 402 into engagement with the flat areas 236 of the bead support rings 102 , 230 .
- the bead clamps are pivotally mounted to support flanges 304 and 404 .
- the lower bead clamps 400 are positioned in an annular arrangement adjacent to the lower bead ring 230 .
- the lower bead clamps rotate about pin 408 of flange 404 .
- Flanges 404 are mounted to the support plate 210 of the tire pre-former.
- the lower bead clamps include a bead clamp pivot 410 having an outer end rigidly connected to the bead finger 403 and an inner end pinned to the support flange 404 , so that rotation of the bead clamp pivot 410 rotates the bead finger 403 about pin 408 .
- Bead clamp pivot 410 has a distal end connected to arm 430 .
- Arm 430 is pin connected to lower spider ring 208 , which slides on center support outer column 220 .
- rotation of the lower bead area into the desired shape occurs during actuation of the arms 430 via sliding spider ring 208 pushed by pneumatic actuator 415 .
- FIG. 8 illustrates the upper and lower bead clamps after being rotated into position so that the bead area components 302 , 402 engage with the upper and lower bead rings 102 , 230 .
- This position is held for a period of time sufficient for the green tire to retain its shape, typically in the range of about 2 to about 10 minutes. The time may vary depending upon the particular tire size and components used.
- the upper and lower bead clamps are unclamped, and the upper and lower bead support rings are rotationally indexed, and then the clamps are actuated. The above steps are repeated until the green tire has rotated a complete circle.
- FIG. 9 illustrates the green tire loaded in the loader 100 after removal from the pre-former 200 .
- the loader 100 grips the outer radial surface of the tread region of the green tire.
- the upper bead area of the green tire is still in engagement with the rotatable upper bead ring support 102 to ensure the bead area 302 remains concentric to the bead center and supported during entry of the curing bladder at shaping.
- the green tire loader 100 has been designed to engage the tire without negatively affecting lower bead area rotation or bead concentricity and parallelism.
- the tire loader 100 has several features built in to enhance uniformity. First when grasping the green tire for transport to the press, the loader 100 tire chucks grip only the crown of the outside of the tread area. Prior art loaders grasp the inside of the top bead that would cause a negative rotation of the material around the top bead. Typical prior art loader fingers do not address concentricity of either the top or bottom bead, so as a result parallelism of the two beads is also at risk.
- the loader 100 maintains the centering of the bottom bead by using multiple independently lockable cylinders to grasp the tread crown without distorting the upper and lower bead center to tread relationship. Finally the loader 100 contains the top bead ring support that maintains rotation, concentricity, and parallelism, during curing bladder shaping, and the transfer of the green tire to the curing press.
- FIG. 10 a illustrates a typical green tire prior to being shaped.
- the bead areas of the green tire have a reverse curvature as compared to the green tire of FIG. 10 b .
- the beads are located axially inward of the tread shoulders, as compared to FIG. 10 a in which the beads are located axially outward of the tread shoulders.
- the lower sidewall of FIG. 10 a has angle of about 120 degrees with the axis of rotation, while the lower sidewall of FIG. 10 b , which is more consistent to the cured tire position, has an angle of about 60 degrees.
- FIGS. 11-21 illustrate the process for rotational alignment of the bead areas of the green tire as well as the modified shaping cycle of the green tire in the tire curing press.
- FIG. 11 illustrates a green tire G being loaded by an operator (or alternatively, a machine (not shown) onto the tire preformer apparatus 200 .
- the top hat 239 facilitates the proper centering of the tire bead and tire onto the lower bead ring 230 of the tire preforming apparatus 200 as shown in FIG. 12 .
- the lower bead support ring 230 is then lowered into position via the translating support plate 231 using hydraulic cylinders.
- the tire loader is lowered onto the green tire until the upper bead support ring 102 mounted on the loader is registered with the upper bead of the tire.
- the tire loader is further lowered until the green tire beads are placed at the curing height of the beads in the closed mold.
- FIG. 13 a illustrates that the tire loader is lowered until the upper bead support ring 102 mounted on the loader is in engagement with the upper bead of the green tire.
- the lower bead of the tire is kept registered with the lower bead support ring 230 of the performer apparatus 200 .
- the tire bead clamps are rotated into position as shown in FIG.
- the green tire shape is equivalent to the molded tire shape.
- the green tire is held in this position for at least 1-2 minutes.
- the green tire is then rotationally indexed and actuation of the clamps is repeated until the green tire has rotated a full circle.
- the rotational indexing of the green tire ensures uniform shaping of the bead component areas by the bead clamps.
- FIG. 14 illustrates the tire being removed from the preformer machine 200 by the loader 100 .
- the loader grips the outer crown portion or outer diameter of the tire by a plurality of radially spaced paddles 110 while maintaining the shape of the upper bead area 302 of the tire by the upper bead support ring 102 .
- the tire loader 100 has been modified to include an upper bead support ring which maintains the shape of the upper bead area of the tire.
- the tire loader has also been modified to utilize the outer radial paddles in order to maintain the rotation and alignment of the beads.
- the tire loader lifts the tire off of the preformer machine and lowers the green tire bottom bead onto the bottom bead ring 502 of the mold 500 as shown in FIG. 15 .
- FIG. 15 illustrates the green tire in the tire mold, while the outer surface of the tire is still in engagement with the paddles of the loader.
- the internal shaping process is initiated while the upper bead area of the tire is in engagement with the upper bead support ring 102 of the loader, and while the paddles grip the outer perimeter of the tire.
- the upper bead support ring 102 prevents the shaping bladder 506 from reverse rotating the top bead area of the tire as shown in FIG. 2 b .
- the center post 510 and top bladder clamp ring 520 are raised until they are both located inside the green tire.
- the curing bladder 530 is inflated with low pressure fluid.
- the loader paddles 110 are released from gripping the green tire after the bladder is about 70% to about 80% inflated.
- the loader is then moved out of the way so that the top part 550 of the mold can be closed.
- Low pressure is used to continue to shape the bladder as shown in FIG. 17 .
- the curing bladder is deflated and the center post and bladder ring is lowered into its home position as shown in FIG. 18 .
- FIG. 19 illustrates the continuation of the shaping process.
- the center post and curing bladder ring are raised a second time in line with the upper bead of the tire or cured height.
- the top and bottom curing bladder rings and the outside bladder sleeve are each raised in order to roll the curing bladder back inside the green tire in order to reshape the tire a second time at low pressure.
- FIG. 21 illustrates the mold in the closed position, with the bladder shaped and centered in the green tire. The cure cycle is then completed and the green tire is removed.
Abstract
Disclosed is a method and apparatus for preforming a green tire into a shape that is equivalent to the shape of the green tire when placed in a closed mold. The method for preforming orients the beads of the green tire parallel and concentric to one another and also rotates the bead area components of the tire into the proper configuration prior to cure. The bead portions of the tire maintain the parallel position as the tire is loaded into a tire mold.
Description
- The present invention is directed to tire manufacturing, and more particularly to processing of a green tire.
- Tire uniformity is important to overall tire performance. One aspect of tire uniformity that may occur is when the opposed tire beads are not concentric and parallel to each other. This nonuniformity may occur during the tire building process, tire storage during loading of the tire into the tire press prior to cure, or during the press shaping cycle.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art tire loader loading a tire into a tire press. Thetire loader 10 grasps the tire bead from the top of the tire, and seats the tire onto a bottommold bead ring 12. One problem with the prior art loader is that the lower tire bead region has not been rotated into engagement with the bottom bead ring. A second problem is that the green tire may not be centered onto the lower bead ring or the mold. Further, the top bead of the green tire may not be concentric and parallel with the bottom bead. -
FIG. 2 a illustrates a tire having a bead seated in the bottom mold ring prior to shaping and with the mold in the open position. As shown, thelower bead region 14 a is constrained by thelower bead ring 12, while theupper bead region 14 b is free.FIG. 2 b illustrates the green tire during shaping of the curing bladder.FIG. 2 b illustrates that the lower ply endings A near the bottom bead ring are trapped between the bladder and the bottom bead ring so that they cannot move. As the mold is not closed during bladder shaping, the upper ply endings B are pulled by the bladder to lengthen the Y dimension due to the unconstrained upper tire bead. In addition, the upper bead area may rotate in an undesired direction. The centerline CL′ of the tire may also shift a lateral distance L from the desired centerline CL, resulting in conicity. As shown inFIG. 2 b, tire nonuniformity occurs in the press as X and Y are not equal, and the tire centerline has moved laterally a distance L. When the press closes, the top bead ring engages the top bead, and forces the top bead area to rotate around the top bead. However, the closing of the press does not solve the issues described above, and a tire with uniformity issues may be formed. - It is thus desired to provide an improved method for preforming the green tire prior to entry into the mold to ensure that the tire bead areas are concentric and parallel to each other. It is further desired to provide an improved method that ensures the top and bottom bead areas are rotated into the proper cured position prior to placement into the tire mold and when loaded into the mold.
- The invention provides in a first aspect a method for preforming a green tire to a predetermined position prior to insertion into a tire mold. The green tire has opposing first and second bead areas. The method includes the following steps: holding a first and second bead of the green tire in a concentric and parallel position, moving one of the first and second beads towards the other, rotating the first and second bead areas into a predetermined position, and then holding the first and second beads and bead areas in the predetermined position for a set period of time indexing the green tire and repeating the rotation several times.
- The invention provides in a second aspect a method for aligning the bead areas of green tire into alignment with each other. The method includes the following steps: providing a first bead support ring and mounting the lower bead of the green tire onto said first bead support ring, providing a second bead support ring and moving the second bead support ring into engagement with the upper bead of the tire until the tire is in a desired pre-mold position, and rotating the first and second bead areas of the tire into the desired pre-mold shape.
- The invention will be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
-
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art loader loading a green tire into a tire press. -
FIG. 2 a is a cross sectional view of a green tire partially mounted on the bottom mold bead ring prior to engagement of the shaping bladder and mold closing; -
FIG. 2 b is a cross sectional view of a green tire partially mounted and shaped on the bottom bead ring of the tire mold during bladder shaping; -
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional front view of a green tire pre-former of the present invention shown in the start position without a green tire; -
FIG. 4 is a cross sectional front view of a green tire pre-former of the present invention shown in the start position with a green tire and green tire loader; -
FIGS. 5 and 5 a are cross sectional views of the bottom mold bead ring support with translating support ring; -
FIG. 6 is a cross sectional front view of a green tire pre-former of the present invention shown in the loaded and lowered position with a green tire and green tire loader; -
FIG. 7 is a cross sectional front view of a green tire pre-former of the present invention shown with the loader upper mold bead support ring engaging the top bead of the green tire prior to the material rotation around the beads; -
FIG. 8 is a cross sectional front view of a green tire pre-former of the present invention shown in the actuated/clamped position, after rotating the bead area material around both the top and bottom beads but prior to the loader grasping the outside diameter of the green tire; -
FIG. 9 is a cross sectional front view of a green tire pre-former of the present invention shown with both bead areas rotated and the green tire grasped in the loader for transport; -
FIG. 10 a illustrates the green tire prior to shaping or lower bead area rotation; -
FIG. 10 b illustrates the green tire after upper and lower bead area rotation, but prior to shaping. -
FIG. 11 illustrates a green tire being loaded onto the tire preforming apparatus. -
FIG. 12 illustrates a green tire loaded onto the tire preforming apparatus. -
FIG. 13 a illustrates a green tire after the upper and lower bead support rings have positioned the tire beads to the cured bead height,FIG. 13 b illustrates the bead clamps after rotation around the bead against both bead support rings. -
FIG. 14 illustrates the tire in the loader; with tire held on outside diameter. -
FIG. 15 illustrates the green tire being placed on the bottom mold bead ring. -
FIGS. 16-21 illustrate the various stages of the modified tire curing process. -
FIG. 3 illustrates a green tire pre-formerapparatus 200 of the present invention. The green tire pre-formerapparatus 200 is useful for pre-forming a green tire so that the overall tire shape matches the cured tire shape, and the tire beads are concentric and parallel with respect to each other prior to entry into the mold. The tire pre-formerapparatus 200 comprises asupport frame 202 that has three ormore support legs 204 joined together by a stationarylower support plate 206. An annular center supportouter column 220 extends vertically upwards from thesupport plate 206 guiding center support inner column 222. Alower spider ring 208 is slidably mounted on center supportouter column 220.Support frame 202 further comprises a stationaryupper support plate 210 that is connected to the lower support plate via a plurality ofsupport frame columns 209. - The green tire pre-former
apparatus 200 further comprises a lowerbead support ring 230. The lowerbead support ring 230 is shown inFIG. 3 in a raised position suitable for loading the green tire onto the pre-former apparatus. As best shown inFIG. 5 a, the lowerbead support ring 230 has a lower surface mounted to anupper ring 231. The upper ring may be optionally connected to a rotatable bearing 237 so that the upper ring is free to rotate. The rotatable bearing 237 is connected to abearing support plate 239. The lower surface of thebearing support plate 239 is mounted to adistal end 232 of a translating rod 235. Thus the lower bead support ring may be raised and lowered via translating rods 235, and may also be rotated radially around the center column viarotatable bearing ring 237. A gear rack 243 is positioned for engagement with the rotatable bearingring 237 in order to precisely position the lowerbead support ring 230. A programmable rotation-positioning device 244 may optionally be used to position therotatable bearing ring 237. - The lower bead support
ring 230 as shown inFIG. 5A has abead support 232 extending radially outward from thesupport ring 230. Thebead support 232 has anannular lip 234 located axially inward of the bead support. The annular lip is straight and has no taper. The bead support has aflat portion 236 located axially outward on the support ring. Thebead support 232 further comprises anangled seat 238 that joins theannual lip 234 to theflat portion 236. Theangled seat 238 helps cam over the bead area material into the proper cured alignment position. The green tirepre-former apparatus 200 further comprises a top hat 245 which facilitates the proper centering of the green tire bead and tire onto the lower bead support ring of the green tire pre-former apparatus.FIG. 4 illustrates a green tire loaded onto the green tire pre-former apparatus withsupport ring 231 in the raised position with the lower sidewall bead area of the green tire in mating engagement with the lowerbead support ring 230. - After the green tire has been lowered on the green tire
pre-former apparatus 200 as shown inFIG. 6 , thegreen tire loader 100 is lowered into the support/grasp position around the green tire as shown inFIG. 7 . Thegreen tire loader 100 includes anupper support ring 102 for engaging and supporting the upper bead of the green tire. Theupper support ring 102 may optionally be rotatable, as described in more detail, below. Theloader 100 with a rotatably mountedupper support ring 102 is lowered until the innerradial lip 106 of the upperbead support ring 102 engages the top bead of the green tire. The green tire loader further includes a plurality of tire engaging paddles or chucks 110. Each tire chuck is independently radially movable on arail support 112 connected to a pneumatically drivenpiston 114. Each chuck is lockable at its own unique tread radius position thus holding and maintaining the concentricity of the top tire bead to the topbead lip ring 102.FIG. 6 shows the rotatable upperbead support ring 102 mounted on asupport structure 116 in order to stabilize the support ring, facilitate bead size, provide for ring size changes, and position thesupport ring 102 adjacent to thetire engaging chucks 110. - As shown in
FIG. 7 , the green tire pre-former device further comprises upper and lower bead clamps, 300 and 400, which rotate and engage the innertire bead area bead area components angled seats 238, and their straight, non-taperedannular lips 234, 106) until the innertire bead areas flat areas 236. The bead area components are able to rotate around the bead ring because the support rings 102, 230 have no tapered lips which prevent the rotation. Thebead area components - A plurality of upper and lower bead clamps 300, 400 are arranged in an annular fashion and are positionable to engage the tire
bead area components bead area components bead area components flat areas 236 of the bead support rings 102, 230. The bead clamps are pivotally mounted to supportflanges lower bead ring 230. The lower bead clamps rotate aboutpin 408 offlange 404.Flanges 404 are mounted to thesupport plate 210 of the tire pre-former. The lower bead clamps include abead clamp pivot 410 having an outer end rigidly connected to thebead finger 403 and an inner end pinned to thesupport flange 404, so that rotation of thebead clamp pivot 410 rotates thebead finger 403 aboutpin 408.Bead clamp pivot 410 has a distal end connected toarm 430.Arm 430 is pin connected tolower spider ring 208, which slides on center supportouter column 220. Thus rotation of the lower bead area into the desired shape occurs during actuation of thearms 430 via slidingspider ring 208 pushed by pneumatic actuator 415. -
FIG. 8 illustrates the upper and lower bead clamps after being rotated into position so that thebead area components -
FIG. 9 illustrates the green tire loaded in theloader 100 after removal from the pre-former 200. Theloader 100 grips the outer radial surface of the tread region of the green tire. The upper bead area of the green tire is still in engagement with the rotatable upperbead ring support 102 to ensure thebead area 302 remains concentric to the bead center and supported during entry of the curing bladder at shaping. - The
green tire loader 100 has been designed to engage the tire without negatively affecting lower bead area rotation or bead concentricity and parallelism. Thetire loader 100 has several features built in to enhance uniformity. First when grasping the green tire for transport to the press, theloader 100 tire chucks grip only the crown of the outside of the tread area. Prior art loaders grasp the inside of the top bead that would cause a negative rotation of the material around the top bead. Typical prior art loader fingers do not address concentricity of either the top or bottom bead, so as a result parallelism of the two beads is also at risk. Theloader 100 maintains the centering of the bottom bead by using multiple independently lockable cylinders to grasp the tread crown without distorting the upper and lower bead center to tread relationship. Finally theloader 100 contains the top bead ring support that maintains rotation, concentricity, and parallelism, during curing bladder shaping, and the transfer of the green tire to the curing press. -
FIG. 10 a illustrates a typical green tire prior to being shaped. The bead areas of the green tire have a reverse curvature as compared to the green tire ofFIG. 10 b. InFIG. 10 b, the beads are located axially inward of the tread shoulders, as compared toFIG. 10 a in which the beads are located axially outward of the tread shoulders. The lower sidewall ofFIG. 10 a has angle of about 120 degrees with the axis of rotation, while the lower sidewall ofFIG. 10 b, which is more consistent to the cured tire position, has an angle of about 60 degrees. -
FIGS. 11-21 illustrate the process for rotational alignment of the bead areas of the green tire as well as the modified shaping cycle of the green tire in the tire curing press.FIG. 11 illustrates a green tire G being loaded by an operator (or alternatively, a machine (not shown) onto thetire preformer apparatus 200. Thetop hat 239 facilitates the proper centering of the tire bead and tire onto thelower bead ring 230 of thetire preforming apparatus 200 as shown inFIG. 12 . The lowerbead support ring 230 is then lowered into position via the translatingsupport plate 231 using hydraulic cylinders. - After the tire is loaded onto the
tire preformer apparatus 200, the tire loader is lowered onto the green tire until the upperbead support ring 102 mounted on the loader is registered with the upper bead of the tire. The tire loader is further lowered until the green tire beads are placed at the curing height of the beads in the closed mold.FIG. 13 a illustrates that the tire loader is lowered until the upperbead support ring 102 mounted on the loader is in engagement with the upper bead of the green tire. Likewise, as the loader is lowered the lower bead of the tire is kept registered with the lowerbead support ring 230 of theperformer apparatus 200. Next, the tire bead clamps are rotated into position as shown inFIG. 13 b, resulting in rotation of thebead area components -
FIG. 14 illustrates the tire being removed from thepreformer machine 200 by theloader 100. The loader grips the outer crown portion or outer diameter of the tire by a plurality of radially spacedpaddles 110 while maintaining the shape of theupper bead area 302 of the tire by the upperbead support ring 102. Thetire loader 100 has been modified to include an upper bead support ring which maintains the shape of the upper bead area of the tire. The tire loader has also been modified to utilize the outer radial paddles in order to maintain the rotation and alignment of the beads. The tire loader lifts the tire off of the preformer machine and lowers the green tire bottom bead onto thebottom bead ring 502 of themold 500 as shown inFIG. 15 . -
FIG. 15 illustrates the green tire in the tire mold, while the outer surface of the tire is still in engagement with the paddles of the loader. The internal shaping process is initiated while the upper bead area of the tire is in engagement with the upperbead support ring 102 of the loader, and while the paddles grip the outer perimeter of the tire. The upperbead support ring 102 prevents the shaping bladder 506 from reverse rotating the top bead area of the tire as shown inFIG. 2 b. Thecenter post 510 and topbladder clamp ring 520 are raised until they are both located inside the green tire. The curingbladder 530 is inflated with low pressure fluid. The loader paddles 110 are released from gripping the green tire after the bladder is about 70% to about 80% inflated. The loader is then moved out of the way so that thetop part 550 of the mold can be closed. Low pressure is used to continue to shape the bladder as shown inFIG. 17 . After the mold is closed, the curing bladder is deflated and the center post and bladder ring is lowered into its home position as shown inFIG. 18 . -
FIG. 19 illustrates the continuation of the shaping process. The center post and curing bladder ring are raised a second time in line with the upper bead of the tire or cured height. As shown inFIG. 20 , the top and bottom curing bladder rings and the outside bladder sleeve are each raised in order to roll the curing bladder back inside the green tire in order to reshape the tire a second time at low pressure. -
FIG. 21 illustrates the mold in the closed position, with the bladder shaped and centered in the green tire. The cure cycle is then completed and the green tire is removed. - While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.
Claims (12)
1. A method for preforming a green tire to a predetermined position prior to insertion into a tire mold, the green tire having opposing first and second bead areas, the method comprising the following steps: holding a first and second bead of the green tire in a concentric and parallel position, moving one of the first and second beads towards the other, rotating the first and second bead component areas into a predetermined position, and then holding the first and second bead areas in the predetermined position for a set period of time.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing first and second rotatable bead clamps, rotating the first and second rotatable bead clamps into engagement with the first and second bead areas, and then clamping the first and second bead areas against the first and second bead support rings, respectively.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of moving one of the first and second bead support rings towards the other until the tire is in a desired predetermined shape, and then clamping the first and second bead areas against the first and second bead support rings, respectively.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of rotating the green tire a predetermined angle, and then rotating the first and second bead component areas into a predetermined position, and then holding the first and second bead areas in the predetermined position for a set period of time.
5. A method for aligning the bead areas of green tire into alignment with each other, the green tire having opposing first and second tire bead areas, the method comprising the following steps: providing a first bead support ring and mounting the lower bead of the green tire onto said first bead support ring, providing a second bead support ring and moving the second bead support ring into engagement with the upper bead of the tire until the tire is in a desired pre-mold shape, and rotating the first and second bead areas of the tire into the desired pre-mold shape.
6. The method of claim 5 further comprising first and second rotatable bead clamps, rotating the first and second rotatable bead clamps into engagement with the first and second bead areas, and then clamping the first and second bead areas against the first and second bead support rings, respectively.
7. The method of claim 6 further comprising the steps of gripping the outer diameter of the tire while holding the upper tire bead area against an upper bead support ring and then moving the green tire into a mold.
8. The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps of positioning the first and second bead clamps adjacent the first and second bead rings, respectively.
9. The method of claim 5 further comprising the steps of holding the tire in the fixed preformer position for at least 2 minutes.
10. A method for loading a tire onto a tire press, the method comprising the following steps: lowering a first bead support ring into engagement with the first bead area of a green tire, gripping the outer perimeter of the tire, and lifting the tire onto the press.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of: lowering the green tire into the mold so that a second bead support ring of the mold is engagement with the second bead area of the green tire.
12. The method of claim 11 further comprising the steps of shaping the green tire with a press shaping bladder while the outer perimeter of the tire is gripped by a plurality of paddles while maintaining contact of the first bead area with the first bead support ring.
Priority Applications (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/773,035 US20140069573A1 (en) | 2012-09-13 | 2013-02-21 | Method for preforming a green tire |
JP2013180934A JP6258637B2 (en) | 2012-09-13 | 2013-09-02 | How to preform green tires |
EP13184055.5A EP2708351B1 (en) | 2012-09-13 | 2013-09-12 | Tire loader, green tire preformer and tire loader system and methods for loading a green tire onto a tire press and for bringing the bead areas of a tire into alignment |
EP13184053.0A EP2708350B1 (en) | 2012-09-13 | 2013-09-12 | Green tire preformer apparatus and method for preforming a green tire |
CN201310417033.1A CN103660333B (en) | 2012-09-13 | 2013-09-13 | Method for preshaped crude tyre |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US201261700495P | 2012-09-13 | 2012-09-13 | |
US13/773,035 US20140069573A1 (en) | 2012-09-13 | 2013-02-21 | Method for preforming a green tire |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20140069573A1 true US20140069573A1 (en) | 2014-03-13 |
Family
ID=50232023
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US13/773,035 Abandoned US20140069573A1 (en) | 2012-09-13 | 2013-02-21 | Method for preforming a green tire |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20140069573A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP6258637B2 (en) |
CN (1) | CN103660333B (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2018122644A1 (en) * | 2016-12-28 | 2018-07-05 | Pirelli Tyre S.P.A. | Method for loading a green tyre for bicycle in a vulcanisation mould and apparatus for moulding and vulcanising |
EP3255405A4 (en) * | 2015-02-02 | 2018-10-31 | The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. | Tire gripping device and tire inspection method |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP3362272B1 (en) * | 2015-10-14 | 2020-11-18 | Bartell Machinery Systems LLC | Multi-step bead former |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
USRE27060E (en) * | 1964-01-30 | 1971-02-16 | Methods for the vulcanizing op preformed tires | |
US3824048A (en) * | 1972-08-02 | 1974-07-16 | Mcneil Corp | Tire holder and handler |
US20040011450A1 (en) * | 2002-07-17 | 2004-01-22 | Ryoji Hanada | Pneumatic tire for passenger cars and method of manufacturing the same |
US20060231191A1 (en) * | 2003-11-21 | 2006-10-19 | Mawby William D | Tire manufacturing method for improving the uniformity of a tire |
Family Cites Families (14)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
NL215895A (en) * | 1956-06-12 | |||
US3153263A (en) * | 1957-11-07 | 1964-10-20 | Nat Rubber Machinery Co | Tire curing press |
US3948591A (en) * | 1972-02-08 | 1976-04-06 | Semperit Aktiengesellschaft | Apparatus for the bellowless vulcanization of tire blanks |
US4236883A (en) * | 1979-07-05 | 1980-12-02 | Nrm Corporation | Tire press |
JPS5838141A (en) * | 1981-09-01 | 1983-03-05 | Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd | Tire loading apparatus of tire vulcanizer |
JPS59167243A (en) * | 1983-03-14 | 1984-09-20 | Kazumasa Sarumaru | Tire encloser in tire vulcanizer |
DE3442303A1 (en) * | 1984-11-20 | 1986-05-22 | Continental Gummi-Werke Ag, 3000 Hannover | VOLCANIZING METHOD AND DEVICE FOR AIR TIRES |
US4608219A (en) * | 1985-06-11 | 1986-08-26 | Nrm Corporation | Tire press, loader and method |
US4874303A (en) * | 1988-03-22 | 1989-10-17 | Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho | Tire vulcanizing press |
GB8826013D0 (en) * | 1988-11-07 | 1988-12-14 | Kobe Steel Ltd | Bladderless tyre moulding apparatus & method of operating same |
JPH06270288A (en) * | 1993-03-19 | 1994-09-27 | Bridgestone Corp | Apparatus for holding and transferring raw tire intermediate product |
NZ337464A (en) * | 1997-03-25 | 2003-12-19 | Goodyear Tire & Rubber | Vulcanized innerliner and method of utilizing the same for pneumatic tires |
JP2001030254A (en) * | 1999-07-22 | 2001-02-06 | Bridgestone Corp | Large-sized tire for construction vehicle and production thereof |
JP3938325B2 (en) * | 2002-05-10 | 2007-06-27 | 横浜ゴム株式会社 | Tire pre-forming method and apparatus |
-
2013
- 2013-02-21 US US13/773,035 patent/US20140069573A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2013-09-02 JP JP2013180934A patent/JP6258637B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2013-09-13 CN CN201310417033.1A patent/CN103660333B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
USRE27060E (en) * | 1964-01-30 | 1971-02-16 | Methods for the vulcanizing op preformed tires | |
US3824048A (en) * | 1972-08-02 | 1974-07-16 | Mcneil Corp | Tire holder and handler |
US20040011450A1 (en) * | 2002-07-17 | 2004-01-22 | Ryoji Hanada | Pneumatic tire for passenger cars and method of manufacturing the same |
US20060231191A1 (en) * | 2003-11-21 | 2006-10-19 | Mawby William D | Tire manufacturing method for improving the uniformity of a tire |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP3255405A4 (en) * | 2015-02-02 | 2018-10-31 | The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. | Tire gripping device and tire inspection method |
US10890512B2 (en) | 2015-02-02 | 2021-01-12 | The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. | Tire gripping device and tire inspection method |
WO2018122644A1 (en) * | 2016-12-28 | 2018-07-05 | Pirelli Tyre S.P.A. | Method for loading a green tyre for bicycle in a vulcanisation mould and apparatus for moulding and vulcanising |
CN110114207A (en) * | 2016-12-28 | 2019-08-09 | 倍耐力轮胎股份公司 | Device for loading the method for bicycle crude tyre in sulfurizing mould and for moulding and vulcanizing |
US10987887B2 (en) | 2016-12-28 | 2021-04-27 | Pirelli Tyre S.P.A. | Method for loading a green tyre for bicycle in a vulcanisation mould and apparatus for moulding and vulcanising |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN103660333A (en) | 2014-03-26 |
JP6258637B2 (en) | 2018-01-10 |
CN103660333B (en) | 2018-01-09 |
JP2014054838A (en) | 2014-03-27 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US4608219A (en) | Tire press, loader and method | |
KR101757365B1 (en) | Tire vulcanizing device | |
US7740788B2 (en) | Method of correcting shape of green tire and apparatus for carrying out the same | |
US20140069573A1 (en) | Method for preforming a green tire | |
WO2016039033A1 (en) | Tire-mounting machine | |
US8807976B1 (en) | Tire bead area rotation apparatus | |
EP2708351B1 (en) | Tire loader, green tire preformer and tire loader system and methods for loading a green tire onto a tire press and for bringing the bead areas of a tire into alignment | |
SU1628845A3 (en) | Tyre curing device | |
CA1272113A (en) | Method and device for automatically centering and feeding beads onto a tire building drum | |
CN110087871B (en) | Method and apparatus for steering a green tire for a bicycle | |
JP6109016B2 (en) | Rotating device for tire bead area | |
JP6809104B2 (en) | Tire vulcanizer and tire vulcanization method | |
KR100721415B1 (en) | Tire vulcanizing method and vulcanizer for performing the method | |
JP2980642B2 (en) | Apparatus for loading green tires and / or removing finished tires in a tire heat press | |
EP2100708B1 (en) | Bisplit mold for tire forming and process for manufacturing tire therewith | |
US20070023966A1 (en) | Tire bead stretcher and method for holding a green tire | |
CN214395046U (en) | Curing bladder turning device | |
US11370188B2 (en) | Process and apparatus for unloading a vulcanised bicycle tyre from a vulcanisation press | |
JP2016036921A (en) | Vertical loader, and transfer method of green tire using the vertical loader | |
JP2022108821A (en) | Method for taking out vulcanized tire | |
JPS6248513A (en) | Loader for tire vulcanizing machine | |
JPH08323762A (en) | Green tire molding method in bladderless tire vulcanizer | |
CN116278093A (en) | Semi-steel radial tire curing bladder device and preparation method thereof | |
JPS59184638A (en) | Loader for vulcanizer for tire | |
JPH07323427A (en) | Method for transporting vulcanized tire |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY, THE, OHIO Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:DELGADO, ANDRES IGNACIO;BATOR, EUGENE ANDREW;REEL/FRAME:030491/0287 Effective date: 20130218 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |